


Golden Morning

by FantasyScribe



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Silver Lining but in Squip's POV, Starring William (my OCish Squip), That is what I'm telling myself, This is NOT a procrastination story, different POV, mention of rape, not explicit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29152464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasyScribe/pseuds/FantasyScribe
Summary: Silver Lining, but in William's POV.
Relationships: Brooke Lohst/Chloe Valentine, Christine Canigula/Jake Dillinger, Jeremy Heere/Jeremy Heere's Squip, Michael Mell/Richard Goranski
Comments: 5
Kudos: 8





	Golden Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this is not me procrastinating Bonded. That is what I'm telling myself. Anyway, I have been asked to work on a Squip POV of Silver Lining, so here it is. Now, I recommend reading that first before this because I think the story will make more sense. I also hate those other POV stories that basically rehash the entire first story and only change a few lines. There will obviously have to be moments like that, but I'm shaking things up. I'm going to try to come up with different scenes that were not in the original story and go from there. Anyway, the next update will be Bonded, so nobody worry about that! I'm hoping to do that in a couple of days. Enjoy this story too!

_‘I see ye visibly, and now believe_

_That he, the Supreme Good, to whom all things ill_

_Are but as slavish officers of vengeance,_

_Would send a glistering guardian, if need were_

_To keep my life and honour unassailed._

_Was I deceived, or did a sable cloud_

_Turn forth her silver lining on the night?_

_I did not err; there does a sable cloud_

_Turn forth her silver lining on the night,_

_And casts a gleam over this tufted grove.’_

“This is an excerpt from John Milton’s _Comus: A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle,_ a poem written in 1634. Before we go any further, can anyone tell me the meaning behind the term ‘silver lining’?” asked an elderly woman from behind a podium.

An awkward silence passed over the class as people carefully avoided eye contact with the inquiring eyes gazing at them from the front of the room. She almost seemed to sigh after a long minute passed without an answer. Shifting her weight subtly from one foot to another, she thoughtfully gazed out across the faces of her pupils.

Only one set of eyes met her own. They stared her down, as if daring her to call on them. Unfortunately for that student, she was fearless of any repercussions that may befall her if she challenged her opponent. The older academic had been teaching the elite world’s children for many years now. Feelings like intimidation had been left behind in her younger days when she first started educating young minds.

“Mr. Squip, will you please enlighten us on the meaning of the term ‘silver lining’?” she asked with a small smile quirking at the corners of her lips.

Standing up from his desk, William gave the teacher a look of contempt before gracing her with an expression of thoughtfulness. No classmate dared even glance up at him. They knew the penalty of trying to ridicule him with quiet laughter and judgmental stares.

“The full term is ‘every cloud has a silver lining’. It is used to convey the idea that no matter how bad a situation might appear, there will always be a good aspect to it. It is used to encourage those who may be going through a difficult moment in life and need to see their situation in a more positive light,” he answered smoothly before taking his seat.

“Excellent answer, Mr. Squip. That is, in fact, a correct summation of the meaning. Now, the full phrase that your classmate utilized was not created by Mr. Milton but was later worded in the way we use it today in Victorian England. They say, however, that it was made popular by an American writer, Sarah Payton Parton, who wrote the phrasing in an essay called _Nil Desperandum._ ”

_‘NO, NEVER! Every cloud has a silver lining; and He who wove it knows when to turn it out. So, after every night, however long or dark, there shall yet come a golden morning.’_

“These lines were published in 1853 when…,” she continued on with her lecture, growing more passionate as she pressed onward despite the expressions of boredom on her students’ faces. Only a few at the front of the class appeared to be mildly enraptured with what she was saying. William, however, was not one of those students.

He sat in the middle of the classroom, separating himself from the overly attentive students up front and the under achieving group on their phones in the very back. There was absolutely no reason to closely affiliate with either one of these groups or even the girl sitting beside him twirling her mousy brown hair in what she probably felt was a flirtatious gesture.

They were all conceited and obsessed with their own sense of self-importance. The only things they were truly good for were making business connections and performing political favors. There was not a loyal person among them that William could work with to the fullest extent in his future career as CEO of Squip Quantum Enterprise. The loud sound of a book closing shook him from his inner thoughts.

“That will be all for today. Do not forget to read the rest of John Milton’s poem. There may or may not be a quiz waiting for you when you come back on Monday,” the older woman said, followed by a chorus of groans from the class.

William gathered his notes and books from the desk and had just put them in his bag when he heard a throat clear from his side. He internally scoffed, instantly knowing who it was that wanted his undivided attention. Standing up and throwing his bag around his shoulder, he turned to see a petite girl with large hazel eyes staring up at him hungrily.

“May I help you, Miss Carlton?” he asked stonily.

The insufferable girl had been making eyes at him for over a month now. She had been purposefully placing herself in areas she knew what cause them to be alone. The final straw was when she had been waiting for him outside of the bathroom in between classes. It wasn’t enough she kept leaving love letters in his locker, school bag, and his uniform jacket pocket, but she had to pry herself into his bathroom schedule too. His patience was being sorely tested, and the only reason she hadn’t suffered yet was due to the fact that her father was an important investor to his father’s company.

William refused to be punished over this girl’s insipid, misguided feelings for him. His ribs were just now recovering from his last failure of a relationship with one of his father’s business affiliate’s daughters. He didn’t think his body could handle another confrontation with his father so soon.

“You don’t have to be so formal with me, William,” she said, twirling her mousy hair with her finger, “Victoria is fine with me.”

That was not fine with William.

“Forgive my frankness, Miss Carlton, but I feel it is appropriate to keep our relationship as professional as possible considering our fathers’ positions at work,” he said coldly. This girl needed to take a hint.

“I don’t see how what they do is of any concern to us. Forget about them and let’s go to this amazing restaurant I went to the other day. It was recently awarded five stars and I hear it is a favorite spot of Chef Gordon Ramsey!” she said with fake enthusiasm.

William wondered if she was merely doing this because of possible pressure from their fathers or if she just decided to make him her flavor of the month out of pure personal amusement. It could be she saw him as a challenging conquest since he separated himself from his classmates as much as possible unless it was business related. The socialite had a habit of dating and then dumping her boyfriends only after a few weeks.

He leaned towards the idea that their fathers were involved. The fear she was trying to hide in her eyes as she looked at him was not fake. Many avoided him at school because of his withdrawn, cold demeanor. Not to mention they were fully aware of his status among the powerful and wealthy. He would only have to make one phone call and he could ruin any of their lives. Maybe he could use that fear to his advantage.

“I think what they do is of high concern to us. I hear talk of a possible bankruptcy involving Cash & Sons Incorporated. I heard there was something about fraudulent cases and dirty money. You haven’t heard anything have you?” he asked coldly, already knowing the answer.

Pink skin quickly turned white as she stared at him in horror.

“I haven’t heard anything,” she muttered, her body now frozen.

He easily detected the lie.

“Strange. I thought they were a major partner of your fathers. I was thinking it would be a major shame if everyone found out about it. I mean, it would make for a huge financial loss for your family. I don’t think there would be enough income to pay for the tuition costs here, much less enough to cover a five-star meal at a Gordon Ramsey approved restaurant. If you haven’t heard anything, I’m sure it is just a rumor,” he finished with a shrug before walking past her.

“Have a good day, Victoria,” he said with a smirk before turning fully away from her still form and walking out of the classroom.

Maybe that would be enough to keep her away from him for good. It didn’t exactly take a detective to find out what he knew. She told him all he needed to know just from her reaction alone. Without her father’s shady partners illegal activities to help finance their current lavish lifestyle they would need another source of income to fall back on. An alliance through marriage to a rich heir would be the easiest way to gain back their prosperity. Unfortunately for them, William wasn’t stupid or easy. He felt a weight lift off his shoulders when he realized this was a ploy his father was not aware of. Mr. Carlton’s ruined family would not benefit his father in any way, ergo, they were useless.

William knew attacks like these would become more prominent the closer he got to graduating high school. He was just in the middle of his junior year and something like this was happening. Women had already been trying to slink their way into his good graces back in even his freshman year. William shuddered at one particular memory and quickened his pace until he was outside of his school.

“Shit,” he muttered underneath his breath as he took in gulps of fresh air.

Three years had already flown by and he still had a hard time coming to grips with that memory. He could still feel her fingernails raking over his chest, and the disgusting feeling of something warm and wet against his intimate area. He gagged at the thought and did his best to fight back the nausea as he walked towards his BMW.

When he finally settled into his car and shut the door the alarm on his phone went off. He glanced at the reminder telling him that he had a meeting with his father in an hour. Taking a deep breath, William turned his car on and began to drive towards SQE.

It would not bode well for William to be late.

* * *

“I’m sorry, sir, you want me to go where?” William asked, frowning in confusion.

“I’ll only repeat myself once, William. I have arranged for you to start at a new school on Monday. You will be going to New Jersey. The town is called Red Bank,” Roland Squip replied with a tone of disapproval.

“I see. May I ask why? I thought I needed to finish school at a private institution to qualify for an internship at SQE?” William inquired as respectfully as he could without angering his father.

“An exception will be made for this situation. It has come to my attention that you haven’t been mingling with people of your own age. You see, William, people underneath your status are pivotal within this company. They work long hours and some even dedicate their whole lives to this company. As a leader, you have to learn how to associate with them and use them to your advantage. I do not feel you are perfectly adept in this area of manipulation. This is evidenced by your lack of success when it comes to the opposite sex,” he said with a piercing gaze.

William did his best not to flinch and continued to listen to his father’s words. He disagreed entirely with this reasoning. There should be no reason he had to subject himself to the public school system just to learn how to make easily manipulated friends. This entire plan wreaked of suspicion.

“I need you to do this, William, to further your leadership skills and develop beneficial bonds with people. Of course, the load to your work here on the projects I enlisted you to do and your college courses will not change. In fact, it should be easier since you are going to a public school in New Jersey,” Roland said with a smirk before turning around and effectively dismissing him from the office.

“Yes, father,” William said before leaving the room.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t seething. This must be a test to see if he would break down or not under pressure. His father must still be comparing him to Winston. That man had just reached an upper management position at one of their sister companies. It didn’t matter that Winston was done with school and was an adult, his father was still watching and waiting to see if he could measure up.

It certainly didn’t help that Winston had better social skills than himself. Was it really William’s fault that he didn’t see the point in making small talk with people who couldn’t benefit him in any major way?

“Do you need anything arranged for your move, Mr. William?” his father’s bespectacled secretary asked from her desk.

William turned his attention towards her and gave a rare, small smile. Gloria was the one person in the world who he would talk to despite her not being able to benefit him in any way. She had looked after him quite often over the years, especially after his mother passed away. There was no one in the world who he trusted more than Gloria.

“No, Gloria, thank you, but I don’t believe I’ll need any arrangements. The house in New Jersey has been prepared and my belongings have been packed back at the penthouse, so I will be leaving shortly to settle in before Monday,” he said, letting her know that he was going to be alright on his own.

It wasn’t like his father was ever at home in the first place. William was used to living alone. He liked it that way too. A quiet environment helped him focus and orient his thoughts onto his future goals. There were no distractions to deviate him from his plans of taking over his father’s company.

“Very good, Mr. William. I trust that you will be contacting us when you arrive safely?” she asked with a critical eye.

“Yes, Gloria, I will make sure that I do so,” he said with another small smile.

“I’m glad to hear it. I hope you leave soon, it will be dark in a couple of hours,” the older woman said with an arched brow.

“Yes, I will be off then,” he replied, leaving her staring at his back worriedly.

William was going to be fine. Gloria had no reason to worry about him. He was used to going at things alone, after all.

* * *

William had decided that he was not going to be fine.

The school was old as hell and the roof looked like it was going to cave in at any second. The student body also stank of desperation and middle-class mediocrity. It had not taken him long to find a group of the school’s ‘popular kids’ and position himself in their hierarchy. When he says ‘find’, however, he means they practically ran up to him on their knees and begged him to ‘hang out’ with them, whatever that meant.

“YO, MAN! How’s it hanging? I’m Jake. You’re new right?” a tall guy with dark hair wearing a letterman jacket walked right up to him as soon as he had walked out of the school’s office with his schedule.

“Yeah, I’m William Squip. Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand, only to have the boy smile and slap it down.

It took William a moment to realize that it was a high five.

“William Squip? Never heard of that last name before. You care if I call you Squip? Most of the guys go by their last names. Mine is Dillinger, but I don’t care if you call me Jake,” the boy said with a bright smile.

Jake’s honesty was refreshing to say the least, and he was clearly a popular person if any of the lingering glances given to him by his passing classmates was anything to go by. This may be the person he was looking for that his father wanted him to associate with.

“Dillinger, I will try to remember that,” he said with a forced smile, thankfully, the Dillinger boy didn’t seem to notice.

“Cool! You need to come meet the guys,” he said, wrapping an arm around William’s shoulder as they walked down the hall.

From there, he was introduced to Richard Goranski, who went by Rich, and various other boys that he barely remembered the names of. Rich had stood out primarily because of his appearance. He was wearing a gaudy colored sleeveless shirt in the middle of winter and couldn’t have been more than 5 foot 7”. William also got the impression that he suffered from a major inferiority complex. William had already caught him more than once eyeing him up shrewdly and then looking down at his own smaller form.

William ignored the smaller boy’s obvious self-confidence issues and carefully integrated himself into their popularity. He even met some of the girls who had walked up to their group in the middle of introductions. Chloe Valentine, Brooke Lohst, and Jenna Rolan surrounded him in the middle of 2nd and 3rd period to acquaint themselves with him.

“Are you a model, because you look like a model,” Brooke rambled as she stared him up and down in amazement.

“Calm down, Brooke, he isn’t a model. He is just some rich boy that probably wants a break from his high society life or something like that. So, what is it? Why have you graced us peasants with your presence, money bags?” Chloe asked with a smirk.

William arched his brow and lowered his forced smile for a moment to analyze the dark-haired girl. He thought tricking his classmates would be easy, but he had better be careful before he was caught in the middle of implementing his manipulation tactics. Chloe Valentine would have to be a person to keep an eye on.

“My dad thought I was spending too much, so he is making me go here to see how the other half lives. I’m really not that stuck up but my dad kind of goes overboard sometimes,” he said with an eyeroll, trying to act as much like a teenager as possible.

Blue eyes blinked up at him for a few seconds before falling for the lie.

“That sucks, parents can be the worst. I know mine can be,” she said with a flip of her hair.

“William Squip, son of Roland Squip, part of the rich elite 1% of the world. 17 years-old, single, last dated some girl whose dad runs a major robotics company, went to one of the top private schools in the country. They have connections with the President of the United States, overseas rulers, and various celebrities. The list goes on and on. I can’t believe your dad forced you to come to a public school in New Jersey out of all places. That is the worst!” Jenna said in horror as she typed frantically on her phone.

William knew it would be a matter of time before someone looked his name up, but he had barely been here two hours and some girl was working on finding out his life’s story. He was saved from further conversation with the three girls when a familiar face moved her way into the crowd of people surrounding him.

Madeline Lancaster exaggeratedly swung her hips and eyed him up lustfully as she made her way to him. It took everything in his power not to roll his eyes at the scantily clad girl. She was the stepdaughter of some mediocre yes-man that his father hired to help him with his more illegal activities in the business world. When his father asked him to make friends with benefits, he was more than certain that this whore was not who he meant.

“William, I can’t believe that I’m seeing you here! I thought you were going to that fancy private school in New York?” she asked, eyeing him up and down appraisingly.

The blatant hunger in her eyes almost made nauseous. The last thing he wanted to do was meet anyone connected with his father in any capacity. He would have to work a little harder to sell this nice guy routine if he was going to get anywhere with these people.

“He got tired of me freeloading off him, so here I am,” he said with a shrug. He hadn’t been in this girl’s company but a handful of times. There was no way she knew of his habits and true personality.

“I see, well we are glad to have you here. I know I am especially,” she said with a wink before sashaying down the hall.

“Slut,” he heard Chloe mutter underneath her breath before giving him an amused look before walking away, Jenna and Brooke following closely behind her.

Maybe he could get along with Chloe Valentine after all.

The next few periods went by and soon it was time for lunch. William had zero fear of finding a seat since the moment he stepped out of his 4th period class he was swarmed by Dillinger and his friends.

The cafeteria was too small for a student body of this size. William wanted to snap at every student who ‘accidently’ bumped into him as he made his way towards the line. He had no hopes for the food being served her either as he got a glance of the slop on other students’ trays.

With Dillinger and Rich close behind, he almost made it to the line when one of the students abruptly turned with his tray and smashed it right into his chest. The loud noise of student’s talking stopped as they took in the scene.

William looked down to see a few splotches of mashed potatoes on his shirt. The boy who had bumped into him, however, was completely covered in mashed potatoes and meatloaf. William looked up to meet the eyes of his accidental assailant.

The boy was lanky, with acne-covered skin and wide, round light blue eyes that were staring at him in horror. His hair was reddish brown in color and was curly, though it was being forced down by some sort of gel. The discarded food was covering a striped shirt with a navy blue cardigan and cheap faded skinny jeans. The converse he wore looked like they had seen better days as well. All in all, he looked like a stereotypical nerd that this high school could easily produce.

“What the hell tall ass?! What’s your problem?!” William heard Rich yell from behind him.

The other boy looked like he was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound. He slowly turned to see the entire school staring at the two of them. A deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle came to William’s mind.

“I-I am so-o-o sor-r-y! I-I w-wasn’t l-loo-king! Oh God! H-how m-much i-is th-at sh-shirt?!” the boy asked in a high-pitched, hysterical voice that instantly got on William’s nerves.

Looking down at the few splotches of mash potatoes on his own person, he lifted his hand up and brushed it off his shirt dismissively.

“Too much for you to afford, I’m sure,” he said. This guy was clearly at the bottom of the food chain around here. Being nice to him wouldn’t have any merit.

The boy blushed a deeper shade of red and stared at William intently. The blue eyes unnerved him for some reason, and before he could say anything more, he heard Rich come up from behind him and eye the boy threateningly.

“You want me to take care of this guy Squip?” Rich asked with barely raised fists.

The other took a step back and visibly gulped at the sight of Rich. William frowned at the feeling of his instincts telling him to protect the boy. Why would he want to help out some guy who he just met who also dumped subpar cafeteria food on him? There was absolutely no benefit in doing such a thing, but he still heard himself say, “Don’t bother. I have more at home where this came from.”

William then walked past the boy and didn’t look back. He heard the others following him, and when he was sure no one was paying attention, he glanced back to see a girl (his girlfriend?) with an arm wrapped around his upper back and walking him back to what was presumably their lunch spot.

“Jeez, tall ass sure knows how to welcome a guy, huh?” Rich said with a laugh after they had sat down with their trays.

William wanted to know the guy’s real name but didn’t feel that his curiosity would go over well with his new ‘crowd’, so he kept silent. There was something about him that screamed desperation. This may be the ‘friend’ he had been looking for. The kid had promise to be amazing, he just needed the confidence. William was sure he could change his position in the high school hierarchy. In return, he could help William with his problem concerning his father.

“Gaaaaaayyyyy!!!” Rich randomly shouted above the noise of the cafeteria. William wanted to punch him in the face since the idiot had screamed right beside his ear without warning. Everyone around him began to laugh.

He looked up to see the lanky boy from before, now wearing an oversized bright red hoodie, staring in their direction. They made eye contact again before the boy turned around and rushed out of the cafeteria.

A thought popped into William’s mind right then. The phrase ‘silver lining’ floated through his head and he thought back to his lesson from a few days ago at his old school. A small, unnoticed smirk made its way onto his face.

That kid, he was certain, was his silver lining.


End file.
